Legacy Java 6 Mac OS X 10

Java 8u20 Build b17 is the only version of java that works on Mac OS X 10.10 Yosemite as of this post.

The JDK is a development environment for building applications, applets, and components using the Java programming language.

Java 7 and 8 are officially supported in OS X 10.12 Sierra and if you dont need Java 6, we highly recommend updating to Java 7 or 8 because Java is notoriously insecure and older versions are particularly vulnerable to attack and bugs.

There are also issues regarding legacy support for Java 6 in macOS 10.12 Sierra which we clarify at the end of the article.

Note that we dont recommend you install Java unless absolutely essential because its notoriously unstable and insecure and once installed, you cant ever fully uninstall Java from a Mac.

However, if youre one of those people that has no choice because the website you need to access, application you want to use or the game you want to play requires it, follow these instructions.

If youve never installed Java on Mac, then you can simply download and install the latest version of Java from Oracle which is known as Java 8 but rather confusingly officially called Java 1.8 by Oracle.

If youre not sure whether Java is installed on your Mac, simply search for Terminal in Spotlight and type: java -version at the command prompt.

If Java is on your Mac, youll see a message saying something like Java (TM) Runtime Environment in this case version 1.6 (or Java 6 as it is commonly known).

Java has such a bad rep on Macs that Apple has made it increasingly difficult to install it and other things that can potentially damage OS X.

If your Mac is blocking the installation of Java, follow these instructions to disable rootless SIP and try again: Restart your Mac when the screen turns black hold down R until the Apple logo appears.

In Terminal type: csrutil disable Hit Return and then restart OS X.

Your Mac will then restart with SIP disabled and you can try installing Java again.

To re-enable System Integrity Protection, follow exactly the same procedure except type: csrutil enable Rootless SIP is then renabled on your Mac.

Note: You will have to deactivate SIP when new updates for Java are released as Java will not update while SIP is enabled.

Examples of people that may still need Java 6 are those trying to access some government sites, some online games and Android programmers that require Java 6 to develop Android apps on Mac.

This is a special update from Apple which allows the outdated Java 6 to safely run on your Mac.

To install the update, you must quit any Java applications that are running and then simply download and double click on the Jave 6 update file and the update will automatically install.

Note that Java 6 does not officially work with OS X 10.12 Sierra although some users have had success with it so it may work and it seems to depend on the specific app you need it for.

Note: Do not get Java confused with JavaScript JavaScript is an essential component for most browsers that enables it to display certain elements properly and is completely different to Java despite the confusingly similar name.

Disabling JavaScript will mean many websites simply wont work in your web browser anymore.

Applications or features that depend upon Java 6 may not function properly or will not launch when Java 6 is removed.

Developers should move to a newer version of Java as provided by Oracle.

However the Apple link that Oracle refers users to has now been removed by Apple leaving some doubt as to whether Apple has had a change of heart regarding support for Java 6 on Sierra.

Some Mac users are reporting that you can still install Java 6 on Sierra and it works for some apps but not for others.

In the case of Cyberduck for example, it seems that the developer has updated the app to work with Java 6 in Sierra so it may well be down to individual developers whether they force their apps to work with it.

Our advice is dont rely using Java 6 on Sierra until Apple clarify whether it will be officially supported.

Legacy Java 6 For Mac